Topic: HELP: My tetra is swimming sideways? What’s wrong with it and how do I help it? He is like jotting back and forth in place but he is face down and can’t seem to… Act normal, so I’m wondering what’s up with him and if there’s anything I can do? I noticed one other tetra is beginning to do the same too? I have the testing strips.
Awarded Answer
Posted by Nikki R: I think…and I don’t know these strips, but if you line them up with the yellow part down to the lower level, the upper level is saying ‘water change’, it may be an ammonia build up. Don’t go too hard just go a 25 or even 50% water change if you feel better (personally I would do 20%, check tomorrow and do another 20% if it needed ) then you need to find out why the ammonia has spiked. ? Clean filter ? dead fish or plants ? too much food… just a few thoughts. I hope you find the solution… let us know what happens…
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Have you checked your water quality? |
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I only have strips, but give me one minute and I will take a picture. |
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Just cleaned the filter, turns out my boyfriend had not cleaned it in a very long time, it was super super dirty. Also did 25% water change so hoping it will help him (Y) |
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Since I had to clean the filter so toroughly I also added bacteria so it wouldn’t cause an amonia spike, just to be sure. |
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Cool! That may be the problem, you have, hopefully, solved it yourselves! Well done! I hope your tetras are feeling better. |
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One step at a time… you have found a big problem ( with filter cleaning) give it a day or so and let the filter do its job, now that it can do it well, and just enjoy your fish, you are a great fish keeper…. YOU CARE, |
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My first reaction would be to do a 25% water change and see how they react to that… Checking water parameters (pH, nitrites,nitrates and ammonia, don’t forget temperature ). |
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How long has the tank been up and running with fish in it? |
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One of my cardinal tetra keep hiding behind plant and not schooling. Is it sick? I realized it is gasping super fast. |
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From personal experience once mine started doing that they soon showed signs of neon tetra disease (NTD) hopefully thats not the same case for you. |
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I have 30 cardinals. Some break off and want to be alone. Eventually they end up back with the group. |
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It died the next day after I moved it to quarantine tank. Hope my remaining cardinal stay healthy |
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I don’t know much on how to breed these, but they are an egg layer. If you have a male, and an extra tank you could move them over. Might be able to get her to lay. I would look up a YouTube video on breeding them. |
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Help, I’m at a loss with my tank. My tetra are sick. Looks like a fungus or cotton mouth. I’ve treated the tank with parasite, bacteria and fungus treatment. Then anti internal bacteria. None of those worked and I’ve just finished a 3rd treatment of white spot and fungus as this one also treats neon tetra diseases. My other fish aren’t showing signs of illness only my tetra. Any advice pls? Pics added if my tetra plus the treatments I’ve used. Many thanks |
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Neons can be very inbred in the hobby and some batches are just bad. I had a group once just like yours. I’m not saying this is for sure what is happening but it could be. It could also be water parameters. I don’t buy them at all anymore for this very reason. |
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I’ve had 6 neons for 12 months. All ok till last month when they started to go fury. Lost 3 now only 3 left. I’ve read that cardinal tetra don’t get the neon tetra disease so I’ll try those next. Just hope my other fish are ok. Like I said other aren’t showing signs of illness. Water parameters all ok. Thanks. May just be bad luck. |
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Is the UK one of the regions that doesn’t have access to true medications without a vet? Those all look like holistic treatments. Look into aquarium salt, check to see if all your inhabitants are salt tolerent first and slowly dose it up. Watch aquarium co-ops live stream on salt. |
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Yes he can’t get med trio in uk Amazon uk etc won’t display general cure or ethromycin because it’s banned here Can order from abroad on eBay uk But it takes 4/5 weeks delivery Esha medications are available in uk shops they’re ok but I’d rather have trio Available. |
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Aquarium Salt is simple Sodium Chloride – you can use non-iodized salt to treat some diseases. There is a case to made for Epsom salt which doesnt actually contain sodium. Found this article recently when one of my platys had a weird fungus on her eye. |
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If its fungal.. Then generally the interpet isn’t bad. And waterlife is also good. Another I’ve used when all else has failed is paragaurad and esha 2000… However there have been rare occasions when nothing has worked.. I don’t think paraguard is much good to be honest.. But it worked with my angel fish on that occasion. For that I added 2 diff meds. Paraguard and esha, essentially looking for 2 differ active ingredients. Higher risk, as dosing 2 meds. Also I did have a molly which would routinely have fungus. It would always fall off in a few days. |
